The present invention relates to parachutes, and more particularly, to gliding parachutes of the inflated ram air type.
For many years parachutes have been constructed by sewing a plurality of panels together to define a hemispherical structure when inflated. Some of these dome-like parachutes have incorporated slits, vents or baffles for controlling the flow of air therethrough, both to facilitate deployment and to provide maneuverability. However, these parachutes are adapted primarily for nearly vertical descent, and generally do not permit a load to be guided over substantial horizontal distances to a target landing area.
Recently, gliding parachutes have been developed for sport jumping, fire fighting, and military applications which can be readily manipulated to carry a load over a substantial distance. A typical gliding parachute is preformed and constrained in such a manner that when inflated it will define an airfoil in longitudinal section. When a load is suspended from this type of inflated parachute, the parachute will glide forwardly and its airfoil shape will provide the necessary lift. By controlling the peripheral edges of the gliding parachute, the parachute and the load can be guided in their path of descent to a target many miles away from the drop point.
Much emphasis has been placed on the fabric and rigging configurations of previous gliding parachutes in an effort to approximate, as close as possible, a conventional airfoil shape. This results in maximum lift for a given chute area which in turn provides the maximum glide ration.
In a multi-cell gliding parachute, upper and lower fabric canopies are connected by laterally spaced fabric ribs. Suspension lines are connected at their upper ends to the parachute and converge downwardly to a harness or other load supporting structure. The fabric sections of the parachute are normally made of a high strength, lightweight fabric of suitable porosity.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,427 of Jalbert discloses a gliding parachute including an upper canopy and a bottom planar skin connected together by a plurality of vertically extending, spaced apart ribs to define longitudinal channels through which air flows to sustain a conventional, flat airfoil shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,789 of Snyder discloses a gliding parachute of the multi-channel type which also has a flat airfoil shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,969 of Gargano discloses another multi-cell gliding parachute in which the suspension lines and fabric sections are dimensioned to impart continuous transverse curvature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,722 of Higgins also discloses a ram air parachute having a continuous transverse curvature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,592 of Sutton discloses another ram air parachute having a flat airfoil shape (See FIG. 16).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,684 of Snyder discloses in FIG. 5 discloses a twin lobe parachute with no lower canopy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,613 of Reuter et al. discloses in FIG. 5 an inflated wing parachute in which the side portions of the canopy extend upwardly from the central pair of scoop openings 60. The upper canopy has a triangular shape in plan form (See column 4, lines 7-11).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,565 of Nash-Boulden discloses a single canopy with a triangular plan form and a pair of lobes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,277 of Everett, Jr. discloses a single canopy provided with air scoops on the leading edge to prevent buckling thereof. In FIG. 3 the parachute appears to have two side lobes.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,635 of Hughes et al. discloses in FIG. 5 a single, triangular canopy having two side lobes.
Heretofore the suspension lines of air parachutes have been connected to every rib or to every other rib.